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Classics

Reissue mavens Arrow Video do good work with this set, presenting high-quality prints of several of the recently departed George Romero's lesser known works on DVD and BluRay. The Crazies, in particular, embodies the artistic development that Romero undertook between the "early" (Night) and the "peak" (Dawn of the Dead) stages of his craft, and in many ways plays like a dry run for that later masterwork. The unexpectedly winning domestic drama Season of the Witch and long-thought-lost curiosity There's Always Vanilla round out the set along with a treasure trove of special features for the more dedicated to dig into. Here's hoping Arrow Video will follow this up with the domestic release of its currently-only-available-in-the-UK reissue of Martin, which represents, at least in the opinion of this librarian, Romero's finest hour.

Krzysztof Kieślowski's Dekalog is one of those 9.5 hour super-classics that everyone means to watch some time, when they have 9.5 hours to spare. With Criterion's typically lavish reissue, there's no better time to really think about maybe watching it one of these days.

If you've liked the documentaries of Frederick Wiseman (whose recent At Berkeleyand National Gallery seem to suddenly have netted him a new generation of fans), Les Blank seems like a natural next step. Simple, honest, life-affirming documentaries on occasionally surprising subjects. You'll like 'em.

Satyajit Ray's defining masterwork - the same as ever, but now bearing the Criterion logo - made the late Roger Ebert's Sight and Sound ballot of the 10 greatest films ever made, until said publication got all "three movies is not a movie". You don't have to let such a technicality stop you.

At long last, Penelope Spheeris' out-of-print music documentary trilogy finally sees official release on DVD. 1981's The Decline of Western Civilization documents Los Angeles' fertile hardcore scene, featuring ferocious live performances by Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Fear and - most importantly - X. 1988's Part II: The Metal Years has become something of a cult touchstone largely because of Spheeris' decision to allow the musicians to choose the setting in which they were interviewed, leading to some farcically over-the-top hair-metal posturing, though (and amusing as it is) the film is more than just another Heavy Metal Parking Lot. 1998's self-financed, never-released-on-home-video Part III - Spheeris' avowed favorite - is a deeper look at the culture of homeless gutter-punk teenagers living in Los Angeles. Essential.